Evaluating Growth of Oyster (Crassostrea spp.) Using Different Culture Techniques in Ilocos, Northern Philippines

Abstract

Oysters are cultured using various methods, each with a distinct effect on growth and yield. Understanding the efficacy of these culture methods is essential for optimizing production and ensuring sustainable aquaculture practices. This study aims to compare the growth increment of oysters (Crassostrea spp.) in terms of body weight, shell length, and weight of oyster meat over four months using three culture methods—floating bag, suspended tray, and hanging oyster shell employing a complete randomized design model (CRD) consisting of three treatments with three replications. Findings show that the hanging oyster shell method produces oysters with the highest body weight (21.2 g), indicating that this method might encourage ideal growth conditions. On the other hand, the floating bag method yielded a considerable size of oyster shell length (32.3 mm) and the highest meat weight (6.92 g), indicating that it can produce oysters that are sizeable. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences among the three culture methods for both total body weight (F(2, 42)=11.40 P<.001), and oyster meat weight (F(2,42)=8.056, P=.001. In contrast, there was no significant difference observed in oyster shell length across the different methods (F(2,42)=1.64, P=.206). The findings demonstrate that the hanging oyster shell method yielded the highest overall growth increment, while the floating bag method proved most effective for producing heavier oyster meat. However, as environmental variables were not directly measured during the study, these results should be interpreted as method-specific performance outcomes within the local estuary rather than a definitive assessment of optimal environmental conditions.